Learn multiple ways how to zest a lemon! Five easy-to-follow methods with common kitchen tools will have you adding an extra hint of citrus flavor recipes in no time!
I love using the zest in lemon pepper seasoning, lemon poppy seed bread and lemon brownies!
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Zesting a Lemon
One of the best kitchen tricks you can have in your back pocket is how to zest a lemon. Perfect for adding a subtle lemony taste to cakes, cookies, pasta, and more, this kitchen tip is invaluable!
There are a few ways you can get amazing zest from a lemon peel. It doesn’t matter if you zest, grate, or peel it, the outcome is amazing fresh citrusy flavor that brightens up lemon cream cheese frosting, glazed lemon cookies, and strawberry sour cream cake and many more recipes!
What is Lemon Zest?
It comes from the yellow outer layer, otherwise known as the lemon peel. The zest is bursting with flavor that’s sweeter and not as acidic as the juice itself.
Using lemon zest in recipes is a great way to add a bright citrus taste without adding more liquid than you would if you were to use lemon juice. You’ll also see many recipes that call for both the zest and the juice. Thismake the citrus flavor more pronounced.
It doesn’t stop at just lemon zest. Make different types of citrus zest by using limes for lime zest, grapefruit for grapefruit zest, and oranges for orange zest!
How Much Zest is in One Lemon?
It all depends on the size of the lemon. As a general guide, a regular medium-sized lemon will give you about 1 Tablespoon of zest and 2 Tablespoons of juice.
How to Zest a Lemon
1. Lemon Zester
There are a few different ways that you can get the zest. The most obvious way is to use a lemon zester, it’s the easiest way! A citrus zester has round little holes at the top with sharpened rims that grab the zest off the lemon while you scrape it over the skin.
- Hold the fruit in one hand with the zester in the other. Place the holes of the zester at the top of the lemon (with the sharp edges of the holes facing down).
- Drag the zester down the length of the lemon removing small strips of zest as you go.
- Continue around the entire lemon until the whole thing is zested.
If you don’t have a zester, don’t worry! There are other ways you can zest a lemon without a zester. I’ve shared some other tried and trusted techniques below.
2. Microplane
A microplane grater is a rasp-like grater with multiple tiny sharp holes all along its length. Because a microplane is so sharp, watch your fingers as you grate!
- Move the lemon lightly back and forth over the holes to remove the zest. Don’t press too hard or you’ll end up grating some of the white pith.
3. Box Grater
The small holes of a box cheese grater are also a great option for zesting lemons.
- Gently move the fruit down over the small holes of the grater. Rotate and repeat the process until all of the zest is off.
4. Vegetable Peeler
A vegetable peeler (potato peeler) will also work in a pinch to remove the zest from lemons.
- Hold the lemon in one hand and the peeler in the other hand. Press the sharp blade of the peeler into the skin and pull the peeler down, being careful to only remove the yellow part. This will give you wide strips of peel.
- Repeat the process around the whole lemon and then finely chop the peel.
5. Paring Knife
If you don’t have any of the other tools on hand, you can use a sharp paring knife.
- Slice the lemon in half to give yourself two stable pieces. Put the cut side down on a cutting board.
- Carefully cut off the yellow part of the skin only, being careful not to cut into the white pith.
- Finely chop the zest to use in your recipe.
Now that you’ve learned how to zest lemons, you can use the same techniques to zest any citrus fruit!
Expert Tip
The most important tip for zesting lemons is to make sure you are only removing the yellow part of the peel and not the white part, otherwise known as the bitter white pith. It’s very bitter and will not taste good in your dishes. Trust me, I know from experience!
If it happens just use the zest to make a batch of my homemade lemon vinegar cleaner!
Ways to Use Lemon Zest
There are so many ways to use lemon zest in your favorite lemon desserts both inside the recipe and as a garnish. It is also great in in savory recipes like lemon chicken orzo soup, The Jennifer Aniston salad and crispy lemon baked fish!
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Raspberry Cookies
- Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
- Lemon Curd
- Strawberry Fruit Dip
Sometimes I like to add a sprinkle some into my morning hot water. Hot water with a ginger lemon twist is my cup of tea!
More lemon recipes with zest include lemon crepes, lemon blueberry dutch baby and spaghetti pesto.
More Lemon Recipes
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How to Zest a Lemon
Equipment
- 1 grater, microplane, or lemon zester
Ingredients
- 1 lemon , washed and dried
Instructions
- Using a grater, a microplane, or a lemon zester, grate the lemon against the smallest holes to create fine shreds. Be sure to grate the yellow exterior and try to avoid the white interior, or pith, as it can be bitter. A little pith, however, is ok.
- If you don't have any of the tools above, you can use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to carefully remove just the yellow exterior of the lemon. Once you have large pieces of lemon peel, slice them into thin strips and then mince into small pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It’s always a good idea to wash them before zesting them. They come waxed or unwaxed and while the wax is safe to eat, you may wish to remove it before zesting.
To remove the wax, boil water and pour it over the lemons. Give them a good scrub with a vegetable brush, then dry them off and zest away!
Lemon zest is best used immediately after you zest it because it dries out and loses its flavor if left too long. If you want to store it for later, your best bet is to put it in the freezer and freeze the zest in an airtight container for up to 6 months. It won’t be as potent, but it will still give you some lemon flavor.
If your recipe doesn’t call for the juice, go ahead and juice it anyway. You can store the juice in the refrigerator or freeze it to use later. If you don’t juice the lemon right after zesting it, it will dry out quite quickly and you won’t be able to squeeze anything out of it.
Yes, spread onto a baking pan and store in a ventilated area until it is dry and brittle. Transfer to an airtight container and store away from sunlight up to 6 months.
You can store lemon zest in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to a week. To freeze zested lemon, flash freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once frozen transfer to a freezer safe container and store up to 3 months.
Categorized as: Kitchen Tips, Miscellaneous
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I did not bake anything at this time. I followed your instructions on how to zest a lemon. You noted it can be frozen up to 6 months. Could you please tell me how you freeze lemon zest.
Sure, just flash freeze on parchment paper then store in airtight ziploc bag.